Chapter 128

OLIVIA’S POV I hated this. Not the banquet. Not the dress I spent hours choosing, not the compliments or the music or even Derek’s sweet but slightly smug smile every time he caught me stealing a glance. No. I hated that I had to see him. I hated that he came with her. I don’t know why I’d expected anything different—maybe some part of me still foolishly hoped he’d arrive alone, like me. That the nights we spent tangled in each other’s arms meant something. That maybe, just maybe, he would show up and claim me again—not with words, but with the absence of her. But Dominic walked in with Evelyn draped on his arm, shining like a second sun, her hair gleaming in waves and her gown tight and silver, as if to scream at the world that she was his. And I felt like the stupidest woman in the entire room. I had barely danced two songs with Derek before I sensed him behind me—his scent, that mix of pine and storm that made my stomach twist. I turned to see Dominic approaching, eyes locked on min